NEW YORK WEDDING.

Elizabeth Conzen.

It  has been almost two years since I designed a private gown for somebody. Rosella did most of designing at Danzante Inc. so I was thrilled when Salome told me that her older daughter ,Liz ,was going to get married and they wanted me to design their  outfits. I had to do the wedding gown , her sister Suzie's maid of honor gown  -- and dress Salome as well. I had three beautiful ladies to dress so I went to town.

Elizabeth and her father -- Willibald Conzen -- entering Marble Collegiate Church.

Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Zellner.

Salome was also a member of the Marble Collegiate Church so the ceremony was to take place there and the reception would be in the ballroom of the Plaza Hotel in New York City .The date was set for May 4 1984.

 Me with the three beauties.

I asked permission from Rosella if I could use her studio to make the patterns and cut the dresses. I asked one of her sewers to make the gowns at home for me. Rosella was very accommodating and I was relieved as I had not other space to work.

 

Liz and Salome before the ceremony at Marble Collegiate Church.

We decided on a beautiful French lace for the  bridal gown. The lace top dropped to the hip and the lace skirt was gather into the hip line. The full lace skirt had a straight lining underneath and on the hem of the straight skirt we stitched pink ribbons of different widths, that showed through the transparent lace skirt. On the hip line, above the bust and above the elbow we also had some pink shining through .The sleeve ended above the elbow and had a lace frill . The  veil -that was piped with satin all around-was caught with a pink satin bow and she wore pink silk shoes. As she is so tall and thin she look magnificent!  Those days brides were dressed modest and no strapless gowns were tolerated.

Suzanne Conzen - -the maid of honor -- and best man Thomas Burn.

The bridegroom Jesse Zellner.

We made Suzie a tea length gown  out of two tones of chiffon. It gave it a iridescent lilac tint. It was strapless also onto the hip  with a full skirt and a shirred bodice .It had a diagonal drape over the left shoulder and a scarf the she wore for the ceremony in church. Very simple --  but she looked beautiful.

For Salome  we decided on a very rich cream colored chiffon . I had the top beaded in  tones of gold, ice blue and cream. The circle skirt made of layers of silk chiffon that had a uneven hem. She wore a long chiffon scarf around her neck and brushed gold shoes.

The Friday night before the wedding the Conzen's hosted the rehearsal dinner at the Sky Club  in the Panam Building. It was a real international gathering with friends and family of  Salome's South African side and Mr. Conzen  had his German relatives and friends there as well. We all had a great time and it was a wonderful way to start  the  wedding weekend.

I was very pleased when I saw them all dressed . It was a labor of love as they had done so much for me since I arrived in New York. I wanted to give something back and went out of my way to make each of them look the best I could.


We dressed Liz in the Village here at the house. She was picked up by her father's limousine and driver  who  drove her  to church. As she walked out to the car Mr. Conzen  came to me and told me that he had never seen his girls look so beautiful .My  response  were they are very beautiful  already- I  only dressed them. He then pointed to Salome and said;-"...but look at their mother!"
I thought that was a very gracious remark as they were divorced for a while already. He was very kind to me I when I later presented him with  the bills for the fabrics and labor - he was over generous  and I really appreciated his  kindness to me.


At the  wedding I met Barbara Sloane. She was a school friend of Liz and was living in Chicago at that time.I few  months later she moved to New York and moved into the house on West 12th street as well. We have been neighbors for almost 27 years.

The morning after the wedding I went downstairs as Salome invited some of the family and friends to a brunch in her home. Immediately I sensed a change .The mood was somber and sad .I then heard that Salome's son, Vincent ,had  a aneurysm during  night and that he was in intensive care.
Fortunately he pulled through - but it took a while.


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NEW YORK TIMES. 

ELIZABETH CONZEN WEDS J. J. ZELLNER

Published: May 5, 1985

The Marble Collegiate Church was the setting yesterday for the wedding of Elizabeth Maria Conzen, a daughter of Willibald Hermann Conzen of Verona, N.J., and Salome Bruwer Conzen of New York, to Jesse Joseph Zellner, the son of the late Lieut. Col. and Mrs. Jesse Zellner of Nashville. The Rev. Stanford L. Dransfield performed the ceremony.
Suzanne Daniela Conzen was maid of honor for her sister. Thomas Edward Byrne was best man.
Mrs. Zellner, a graduate of the Kimberley School and Kirkland College, received an M.B.A. degree from the University of North Carolina. She is a consultant to the Corporate Communications Group, a public relations concern in Overland Park, Kan., where her husband is editorial manager. Her father is chairman of the People-to-People Health Foundation, a health-care company in Millwood, Va. Her mother is a radio broadcast journalist in New York for the South African Broadcasting Corporation.
Mr. Zellner graduated from Vanderbilt University. His father was retired from the Air Force.
Photo of Elizabeth Zellner (Bacharach)

GUESTS.

4th of July Fireworks.

Gerhard + Henry. New York 1984.

Gerhard and I were both living in New York now and having two  apartment in the city-  friends started  arriving  from South Africa . It was almost like the old days at home .Dinner parties with  the same friends with American friend thrown into the mix. Gerhard had more space so the entertaining was done at his place. Winifred and Paddy came and stayed with Gerhard while Colin and Dawid came and stayed with me. They arrived in time for the 4th of July and the fireworks. We all walked down to the Wall Street area to watch the magnificent display. It felt so good to have some of my friends around that I missed when I left South Africa..

Balducci's .

We went to Balducci's in the Village near me and Colin spend a fortune there and prepared some great meals for us. We also had some wonderful picnics in Central park as well as go to  opera performances in the park. The Metropolitan Opera was closed as it was summer.

Paddy, Gerhard and Winnie.

Me and Gerhard in his NY apartment .

Paddy and me in Gerhard's NY apartment .

Picnic in Central Park with Gerhard, Winifred and Paddy 1984.

Henry, Gloria and Gerhard.

One of the first visitors was my friend Gloria who came to stay with me when she visited her daughter Jennifer in Los Angeles.People flocked to her, so with Gloria around ,the apartment was always full of people.

Gloria and Salome.

Alayne, Gloria, and Salome.

Alayne 2014.

Alayne Reesberg was working for the Untied Nations at this time. After her career in politics she went to Seattle  and worked for Bill Gates-  until he retired and decide to use his time for charity work. She is a real go getter and I admire her for what she has done with her life.

My parents, with my brother Zackie and his wife Dorothea, decided to come for a visit as well. I was looking forward to showing them New York. My parents stayed with me .Salome very kindly offered an empty apartment in the house, so Zackie and his wife stayed there.

We visited  all the tourist sites in New York City. We took the boat around Manhattan. Visited all the museums and even saw Sophia Loren walk in the Columbus Day Parade.

Subway graffiti.

My parents were not that excited about New York City. They were disturbed by the drugs, crime and dirt. Time Square was full of drug dealers and prostitutes. One day we were sitting in a subway car covered in graffiti from floor ceiling .Looking out onto the platform that was also covered in graffiti my father  turned to me and asked. "What are you doing here- why do you want to live here?"  New York during the 1980's was dirty ,crime ridden and sleazy.

I sometimes asked myself that  question.......

Metropolitan Museum. Zackie, his wife Dorie and my parents.

Central Park.

Metropolitan Opera.

My parents photographed in my apartment.

My Father and brother Zackie working on the camera.

Amtrak to Washington DC.

Robert and Sylvia.

We took the train to Washington DC . Sylvia ,a friend of Robert , that I also met, came to welcome us at the hotel. It was very kind of her and my parents really appreciated it that she took the time to come and meet them. This was more what Americans were like -- not like all those wild people on the streets of New York! After spending a few days visiting all the attractions in DC we rented a car and drove to Williamsburg. I wanted my parents to see that New York was not really America. They were very impressed with Washington DC and Williamsburg.

 Colonial Williamsburg is the private foundation representing the historic district of the city of Williamsburg Virginia USA.  The district includes buildings dating from 1699 to 1780 which made up colonial Virginia's capital.

Colonial Williamsburg.

 My Dutch friend Kim Manhave was also in New York that time for business .My mother cooked dinner one night and Kim  joined us.

 Dr. Kim Manhave.

Erwin and Susan Sterne were in New York the same time as well. Erwin took us  out for brunch one afternoon and then we all went to Gerhard for tea. Salome joined us as well.

 I was sad to see my parents go and I did not know when I would be able to go to South Africa as my green card was still being processed. On the day they left ,Kim very kindly called and invited me to dinner at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station. I will always remember his thoughtful  gesture.

The Oyster Bar .Grand Central Station.

Soon after Bob Learmonth also came from  Italy for a visit. I always enjoyed having him around with his great sense of humor .He stayed with some Americans who used to live in his house in London .Bob is a great intellectual and very stimulating company.

Bob Learmonth and me at the Fulton Fish Market in Manhattan.

Another visitor was my friend Cornelia. She took over my apartment with underwear drying all over the place. I took this photo of her on my staircase.

Salome and Robert.

Robert and Cornelia.

Although we were having a lot of fun I had to concentrate on work as well, and it was not all play. Rosella was a tough boss and I had to be on my toes. The economy was not great so I had to work extra hard as my green card depended on her sponsorship.

SALOME BRUWER

Upper West Side Manhattan Apartment block.

Slowly but surely I got use to life in New York City although it took me almost five  years before I felt that this is where I was supposed to be.I thought the Americans would be like the British .We spoke the same language it would be easy to get use to life in American. After all I lived in Italy and there I could not even speak the language. I was in for a big surprise. The New Yorkers  were as strange to me as the Japanese. New York was made up of people from every country in the world. Every religion and nation was represented here.

People of New York.

Gerhard starting coming to the U.S. more and more as he was working on a new venture to get Calvin Klein represented in South Africa. He was working with a very wealthy South African Indian and since he was spending so much time here, he  subleased an apartment from the South African Interior designer Charles Allim on 63rd street off 5th Ave. When Gerhard was not here he would rent it out to some friends who visited from South Africa. Colin and Lynne Benjamin were frequent guests.

I was still living in the  hotel on the Upper West Side and sweating it out at Rosella's and the Danzante Company. Money was tight so it was a big splurge for me to go to the Metropolitan Opera. I do remember seeing La Gioconda" with Eva Marton, "Rinaldo" with Marilyn Horne, "Ernani "with Luciano Pavarotti and Leona Mitchell as well as Jessye Norman's Metropolitan Opera  debut in "Les Troyens."

I met up with Leo and Reneé Conradie once again. I knew Reneé before she got married when she was working for the South African newspaper, "Beeld." She wrote the first interview with me that was published in "Beeld" after I returned to South Africa from Italy.

Reneé Conradie and Ed Du Plessis .I use to dress his mother when his father was member of Parliament in South Africa. His sister, Lettie was also a fashion designer. 

Soon after we met, Reneé married Leo Conradie  who was working with  the foreign office of the South African Government and then they moved to Athens, Greece. He was now second in command at the South African Mission at the United Nations here in New York. They lived in a beautiful apartment on 83rd street and Park Avenue. They had a boy, Soois, and a girl, Sophia, who were about 5 and 3 years old at that time.

(This  little girl turned out to be a chef at the George V Hotel in Paris.)

Sophia and me playing a game while Maricia Steward. the ambassador's looks on. This is Christmas Day 1983 .The next day I moved into my new apartment in Salome's house.

Marble Collegiate Church in the shadow of the Empire State Building .

Leo and Renee's introduction to Marble Collegiate Church changed my life for the better and I am still a member of Marble Church after 33 years. On Fifth Avenue and 29th street  .Marble was part of the Reformed Church of America. The Dutch settled Cape Town as well as New York (or New Amsterdam) about the same time. The Dutch Reformed Church was prominent in both places . I grew up in that denomination.The famous Minister of Marble Collegiate at this time was Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, the author of the best seller, "The Power of Positive Thinking."

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.

At the time Dr. Peale was already 85 but each Sunday morning the lines were around the block to hear his sermon at 11:15 am on a Sunday morning. He was a great orator and knew how to get one's attention. Dr. Arthur Caliandro  preached the 10:00 am sermon and took over from Dr. Peale when he retired a couple of years later.

Dr. Arthur Caliandro.

Donald Trump's father, who was a Marble member ,and Dr. Peale invested the trust fund of the church in Wall Street real estate so it became a very well-to do congregation that used their money to help the underprivileged. It has been a wonderful faith community to me. They also support two church communities in Soweto South Africa .They have great music and the music director, Ken Dake, is one of the best.

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Through Leo and Reneé I met another person that would change my life in New York.  Her name was Salome Conzen. She was known to me as Salome Bruwer  - the South African Broadcasting Corporation's New York representative. We would hear Salome every morning on the South African Afrikaans morning radio show, "Monitor," reporting from New York. She was a household name.

Salome Bruwer.

Suzie Salome Willibald and Liz.

Salome, Willibald,  Liz and Vincent  -sailing the Atlantic in 1955.

Willibald and Salome Conzen with Suzanne, their younger daughter.

Salome and her husband . Willibald Conzen  immigrated to the USA from South Africa in 1952.

He become the CEO of Schering Plough and was the first CEO of an American company that achieved a  billion dollar turnover. Salome's son, Vincent, came with them and subsequently they had two more daughters, Elizabeth and Suzanne. By the time I met Salome she was divorced and had just bought a brownstone in Greenwich Village on 12th street between 5th and 6th Avenues.

The First Presbyterian Church on the corner of 5th Ave and 12th street.

Salome's family were French Huguenots who emigrated to South Africa between 1687-1689.
The original surname was Breuer but later became Bruwer. Her father, Andries Bruwer, was the first Afrikaner who graduated from Harvard. Her mother was Sannie Van Rooyen. They lived in Pretoria and Sannie was friendly with many South African artist. So much so, their house were filled with Pierneefs, Maggie Laubsers and Alexis Preller's. Salome still owns some Pierneefs and some Laubsers.

Here is her father on Wikipedia 
 https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.J._Bruwer

Maggie Laubser painting.

Dr. Andries Bruwer on the left and Salome on the right.

Salome is a beautiful woman and as a younger woman she looked like Ava Gardner. The Conzen's had a very glamorous life style. They traveled the world. She wore designer clothes and her hair was done by Kenneth. Like Jackie Kennedy she was photographed by Harper's Bazaar on the streets of New York in her Leopard skin coat during the 1960's. 

Salome just  bought a brownstone  in Greenwich Village which was rumored to have had Veronica Lake, the 1940's movie star, living in it. Salome was renovating the two bottom floors and garden into an apartment for herself. The rest of the house was divided into four smaller apartments.

Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd.

Reneé felt that we would both benefit if I could rent one of the apartments in Salome's house. We were both Afrikaners and it would be great place for me to live. Salome would also benefit from having a male tenant around that she could trust and who could help her. Salome told me that she was still living in the top floor apartment but once she moved downstairs, I was welcome to rent that top-floor apartment.

Salome, Renee and me -talking to Maricia Steward.

This was the answer to all my prayers. Unfortunately Salome's father passed away in September and she had to go to South Africa. This delayed matters somewhat but eventually on December 26, 1983, I moved into the top floor of the West 12th Street brownstone. Salome was in the Bahamas with her daughter Suzie, but Liz and her future husband Jesse welcomed me .

This has been my home for the last 33 years. It was built in the 1845 and is on the preservation list of historical buildings of New York City.

Maggie, Liz, Katie-Sue, Salome, Andrew and Suzie.

Salome at my  birthday party 1998.

Barbara, Salome and  Henry at 12th street #4R

Garden of West 12th street with the Ernest Ullman sculpture in the background. He was a German sculptor that immigrated to South Africa in 1935.

Salome and her first granddaughter Katie-Sue , in the garden of West 12th street.

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 In 2001 Salome moved to Chicago to live with her daughter Dr. Suzanne James and her husband Tim James who is a heart surgeon.She could not live on her own any more and was more comfortable there surrounded by her 3 grandchildren.
We still spoke very often on the phone and I did go and see her whenever I was in Chicago for business. We still spoke Afrikaans to each other and shared stories about out homeland and friends.
She was such a big part of my life and I was always very thankful for what she -and her family -did for me when I came to this country. I still live on 12th street in her house.

+

On the 2nd of April 2012 Salome passed away at the age of 88- and left an enormous empty space.
She was a dear friend and I will always remember her as a elegant, intelligent, gracious and well spoken lady- a blue blood South African .I will always treasure her memory.
May she rest in peace.

Proteas- the National Flower of South Africa - to honor a South African Lady.

Salome and  Majak 1988

Henry Salome and Erwin.

Salome and  Henry  2003

Salome in August 2011 at the age of 88.

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West 12th street.

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This  block of West 12th Street has been home to many celebrities from Jimmy Hendrix to Meryl Streep. At the moment  Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Melisa Tormei, John Waters and designers Marc Jacobs and Izaac Mizrahi live here.

Jimi Hendrix

Meryl Streep

Tom Cruise.

Cameron Diaz.

Melisa Tormei.

John Waters



Isaac Mizrahi.

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On 33 West 12th  street is the ARDEA Apartment block .

Completed in 1896 with two apartments to each  floor consisting of living room, dining room, library, two bedrooms and a bathroom- plus a maid's room and bathroom. 

One of the tenant's in the ARDEA were the Meloney family.

Mrs. William B Meloney.

  Mrs.. William B. Meloney, was editor the Women’s Magazine and Everybody’s.  Her life changed when she took the post of editor of another women’s magazine, the Delineator. Along with fashion and fiction, it contained serialized autobiographies of women like Kathleen Norris, Marie Curie and Ethel Barrymore. For her work helping war-ravaged Europe she was decorated three times by the country of Belgium and another three times by France. 
Through her work she became friends with the now-ailing Madame Marie Curie, who was suffering after years of working with radioactive materials. In May 1921 the distinguished scientist traveled to New York .

Madame Marie Curie.

 " In May 1921 the  scientist  Madame Marie Curie  traveled to New York with her two daughters on the liner Olympic to receive degrees from several colleges, awards from scientific organizations and be honored at numerous receptions throughout the New York and Washington DC areas. When the Olympic docked, Madame Curie, her daughters and Marie Meloney were “whisked away in the automobile of Mrs. Andrew Carnegie” said the New York Tribune, to the ARDEA “which is to be her headquarters during her stay in New York.”  While Madame Curie was here, the sidewalks outside on 12th street were banked with flowers from various delegations."

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